By Frey Blake-Pijogge, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews After retiring from his career as a federal conservation officer, Derrick Pottle — an Inuk Elder from Tikigâksuagusik (Rigolet) — devoted himself to guiding people on the land, carving, hunting, and training bear guards. The seasoned instructor and guide founded BearSafe Planning in 2005, which trains and certifies students to perform the role of guarding for all bear species found in the region — including polar bears, grizzly bears, and black bears. Pottle’s three-day course is advertised as offering “safety, protection, confidence in bear country.” Bear guards work to monitor for bears and prevent encounters with humans out on the land. “The whole objective of the course,” he told IndigiNews, is firstly “people’s safety” around bears. But that aim “is followed very…
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